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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. object — an aim
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. court — of a king
  7. clip — to cut
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fine — high quality
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fine — all right
  12. court — of law
  13. kid — child
  14. chip — to eat
  15. object — to protest
  16. spring — the season
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. court — for sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. object — a thing
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chip — for betting
  24. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com